This relates to telecommunication systems, e.g., to mobile stations and to networks that interact with the mobile stations.
Cell phone technologies have been advancing over the years. These advances were powered by (in addition to micro-miniaturization) innovations in coding and in protocols, by competition between companies within the US, and by the promulgation of different standards throughout the world. The successively adopted technologies typically provide more bandwidth, better geographical coverage, more effective protocols, more robustness and, consequently, more capabilities. Correspondingly, the networks that serve the cell phones were also advanced but, often, the advances were implemented so as to accommodate the older, legacy, technologies while use of the newer technologies was being spread.
The greater capabilities in the networks enabled the designs of phones with very sophisticated capabilities (often referred to as “smart phones”) and to various other wireless devices such as wireless enabled cars/trains, sensory/eHealth devices, etc. Thus, current day cell phones and other mobile devices (collectively, mobile stations, or MSs) have capabilities that, to different degrees, take advantage of what is commonly referred to as 2G, 3G, and 4G and WiFi technologies. It is fully expected that other technologies will surely follow.
Value added services are often used at the boundary between a wireless operators network and the internet to enhance mobile user experience impacted by the limitations in wireless network. Value added service gateways such as WAP, Compression, Content Adaptation have been used to offset deficiencies in wireless access networks. Value added services such as content filtering, virus detection, and parental control are common to wireline and wireless access networks. Entities that operate networks use APNs to distinguish value added service options while leaving it to the mobile user to select such services.
Moreover, since the installed networks are capable of providing service to mobile stations that operate in different technologies, many mobile stations have been designed to operate in any one of a number of encountered technology environments. These mobile stations switch from one technology to another by active involvement of the MS user.
Better performance can be achieved if the mobile units were able to automatically select the technology that is to be employed, based on network conditions only. Still better performance can be achieved when those selections are application-centric and to be able to lock in to any necessary value added services at the boundary between the wireless operator network and the internet.